Marine vessel.



114- SHIPS' E Xam mar.

Torpndo boa/fl No. 63I,4|7. Patented Aug. 22, |899.

C. L. BURGER.

KARINE VESSEL.

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(Ilo lndel.) 2 Shasta-Shoot 2.

WITNESSES: 4 INVENTOR ,6/3.4 mz 2S/wm VZ;

WMM l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE L. BURGER, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

MARINE vEssEL.

SPECIFICATION fonnng part 0f Letter! Patent N0. 631,417, dated August 22, 1899.

Application filed Iarch 26, 1898. Serial No. 675,271. (No model.)

T o all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, CLARENCE LIvINGsToN BURGER, acitizen of the United States, residing at New York, (Pelham Manor,) in the county of Westchester and State ofINewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Marine Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

It is generally conceded by all familial' with naval warfare that a torpedo-boat that can approach within torpedo range of a warship and discharge a torpedo so as to strike the warship before being itself put out of action can destroy any battle-ship or cruiser afioat and will revolutionize naval warfare. Surface torpedo-boats are designed to approachwithin range of a warship and hurl a torpedo, relying upon surprise and their high speed to then escape destruction; but events have proven that the modern machine and rapid- !ire gun and the search-light have made these frail and easily-vulnerable craft an enemy litt-le to be feared either by day or night.

Submarine torpedo -boats have been designed to attack a warship while well submerged below the surface of the water, and

thus protected from the fire of machine and rapid-fire guns; but such submarine boats are open to the objection that while submerged the object of their attack is totally invisible, and it is thus impossible to guide the torpedo-boat in its direction, the ductuations of the compass, the tides and currents, and the movements of the boats themselves renderin g useless any observations of the boat t-o be attacked taken from the torpedo-boat before its submergence while out of the long range of the enemys guns. Further, submarine boats are always liable to dive to the bottom when the diving apparatus fails to work properly or the trim of the boat is altered, for once inclined downward the forward impetus of the boat forces it downward irresistibly. Other defects of the submarine boat are its inability to maintain its speed or its course for any distance below water owing to the exclusion of air, which preventssteam-power from being used and necessitates the employment of storage batteries o r other auxiliary motive power. lAir for ventilation is of course also excluded and has to be temporarily provided for by meansof compressed-air apparatus.

The object of my invention is a torpedo 55 boat which has the advantage of the submarine boat in its absolute protection from injury by ample submergence beneath the waves, and yet, like the surface torpedo-boat, can be navigated from a conning-tower above 6o water and is always in communication with the atmosphere, so that air may always be had for ventilation and for combustion, thus permitting the use of the most efficient motive power. 65

I attain my ends by means of a submarine hull, containing the propelling means, working quarters, torpedo-gun or other means of offense, and the other vital parts, designed to travel at a fixed distance below the waves, so 7o as to be safe from hostile shot or attack, an upper hull or float, preferably of cellular construction and, containing cellulose, so as to be non-sinkable, designed to ride over the vwaves and support the submarine hull, and means for communicating between the submarine and lsurface hulls, and I prefer to employ an armored shaft forming a commingtower above the surface hull, and through which access may be had, and the necessary 8o air-pipes, and signaling and steeringeonnections, &c., led, to the submarine hull.

In order that my invention maybe clearly understood, I shall first describe in detail the mode in which I carry the same into practice and then point out its various features in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which like letters of reference designate 9o the same parts in all the figures. y

Figure 1 is a side elevation of atorpedoboat embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a sec- 95 tional plan view on the line 4 4, Fig. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are cross-sectional views of the boat on the lines 5 5, 6 6, and 7, respectively, Fig. 2, the interior fittings being omitted.

I make the body or main hull A of the boat .preferably of thin steel, of hollow and, generally speaking, cigar-like form, to travel usually about tive to ten feet below the surface IOO .the boat are also placed in the submerged hull A, so that all are absolutely protected from injury by hostile shot or shell.

The submarine hull A is maintained the desired distance below the surface of the water by means of a long, preferably low, canoeshaped float or hull C, designed to travel with little resistance along the surface of the water and ride more or less over the waves, with which float or hull C the submarine-hull A is connected b`y an air-shaft D, preferably armored, which rises from the top of the submarine hull through the surface lloat or hull C. The air-shaft D is elevated above the deck of the float or hull C to form an armored cunning-tower D', having slits or windows from which the boat can be properly navigated and steered like an ordinary boat, a working platform D2 being provided for the navigator inthe conning-tower. The steering apparatus for controlling the rudderH on the submarine hull A and the signaling apparatus for communicating with the engineer, the torpedo-men, and the crew in general, are also by preference carried through the air-shaft D, within reach of the navigator in the conning-tower.

The top of the conning-tower D is made to open to give access from the deck of the surface hull C to the interior of the air-shaft and therethrough by meahs of steps or a ladder to the interior of the submerged hullA. Openings E are provided at the top of the cunningtower for supplying fresh air to and exhausting foul air from the submarine hull A, suitable air-blowers and air fines or pipes being provided forthe purpose. Other openings F and suitable pipes are provided for discharging into the atmosphere the steam, products of combustion, dac., from the engine and the boiler in the submerged hull A.

Better to sustain the submerged hull A from the surface hull C, I prefer to connect the two by means of a rigid elongated hollow narrowed portion or web B, embracing the airshaft D and of a form to pass easily through the water, the web being constructed of thin steel and merging into the structures of the surface and submarine hulls.

I prefer to make the partially-exposed snrface hull C, as well as the web B, of cellular construction and to fill the cells with cellulose, cork, or other suitable material, so that even when partially destroyed or perforated by shot or shell or other hostile appliances the hull C and web B will still have suilicient buoyancy to uphold the submergedhull A and ride the waves. The displacementof the submerged portion of the boat being made only a little less than its gross weight, even a minor portion of the surface hull will suffice to sustain the submerged hull and its contents.

As the armored conning-tower is practically invulnerable to any but large-caliber shot, as large-caliber guns would stand very little chance, if any, of hitting so small a target as the conning-tower in motion, as the non-sinkable surface hull would still be effective even if riddled with shot, and as, owing to the submerged hull being below the bottom of the surface hull and separated from the same by the water a shot striking or exploding on thesurface hull would not injure the submerged hull, it seems almost certain that my torpedo-boat, with all its vital parts deeply submerged and having ample driving power, could approach within torpedo range of almost any warship afloat and destroy the same by a torpedo with but little danger of being itself disabled before it could escape.

It is evident that the su rface hull C may be utilized as far as suitable like an ordinary surface vessel. For instance, it may carry one or more machine-guns, above-water torpedo-tubes, dac., and, particularly in times peace, a comfortable deck-house, dsc., while its compartments or cells may be used, the cellulose, if used, being temporarily removed for storage of fuel, supplies, &c.

I claim as my invention- 1. A boat comprising asurface hull, a submarine hull, and connecting and communi- -cating means between said hulls.

2. A boa-t comprising a surface hull,asub marine hull, and a longitudinalV web connecting said hulls.

3. A boat comprising surface and submarine hulls having independent bows, and connecting and communicating means between said hulls.

4. A boat comprising surface and submarinehulls havingindependent sternsand connecting and communicating means between said hulls.

5. Aboat comprisinga cellular surface hull, a submarine hull, and connecting and communicating means between said surface and submarine hulls.-

6. A boat comprising a canoe-like surface hull, a submarine hull, and connecting and communicating means between said hulls.

7. A boat comprising a surface hull,acigar shaped submarine hull, and connecting and communicating means between said hulls.

8. A boat comprising as ur'face hull, having a canoe-like bow, a submarine hull, and connecting and communicating means between said hulls.

9. A marine vessel comprising a beat-like IIO surface hull, a submarine hull and connecting and communicating means between said hulls.

10. A boat havinga canoe-like surface hull and a habitable submarine hull depending from the bottom of the canoe-like surface hull, and having an air-shaft rising thereto.

11. A boat having a hull to travel on the surface, a submarine hull suspended from the surface hull, and an armored air-shaft connecting the submarine hull with the surface hull and forminga cunning tower above the surface hull.

12. A boat having a surface hull, a submarine hull supported from the surface hull by a longitudinal web, and an air-shaft connecting the submarine hull with the surface hull.

13. A boat having a non-sinkablesurface hull, a cigar-shaped submarine hull supported from the surface hull and containing the operating parts of the boat, and an air-shaft connecting the submarine hull with the surface hull.

14. A boat having a surface hull, a submarine hull, an elongated non-impeding hollow web, and au air-shaf t extending therethrough connecting the two hulls.

15. A boat having a canoe-like surface hull and a cigar-shaped submarine hull supported from the surface hull and having an air-shaft rising thereto.

16. A boat having a surface hull and ahabitable submarine hull depending from the bottom of said surface hull and having an air-shaft rising thereto. Y 17. A boat comprising a surface hull, ahabitable submarine hull and means, including an air-shaft, for connecting the surface and submarine hulls.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 4o my hand the 15th day of March, 1898.

CLARENCE L. BURGER. In presence of- A. CARY SMITH, DELBETTl C. REED, M. E. MILLER. 

